CDC Updates H5N1 Bird Flu Risk, Citing Dairy Cows and Texas Case

Aug 9, 2024, 11:26 PM

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its risk assessment for the H5N1 bird flu virus, which is currently circulating in dairy cows. The new assessment indicates a slight increase in the pandemic potential of the virus, placing it in the lower half of the moderate risk range. This update comes as the CDC evaluates the virus's ability to spread between mammals, with human cases primarily presenting as mild conjunctivitis or remaining asymptomatic. The CDC's findings highlight that while the risk to the general public remains low, the potential for the virus to trigger a pandemic has slightly increased. The bird flu virus has been detected in 14 human cases, with 4 cases linked to dairy cows and 10 to poultry. Importantly, there have been no reports of human-to-human transmission. The virus that caused H5N1 bird flu in a person in Texas poses a moderate pandemic potential, similar to previously assessed H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b viruses.